2018 U.S. Nationals: Novice Men

Links will open a new window:
[Novice Men final standings] (online glitch has since been fixed)
[Direct link to Novice Men FS protocols]
Medalists:
GOLD – Goku Endo 156.14 (102.03 FS 2nd)
SILVER – Max Lake 155.77 (103.11 FS 1st)
BRONZE – Nicholas Hsieh 151.64 (94.89 FS 6th)
PEWTER – Lucas Altieri 144.63 (95.98 FS 4th)

Place Start # Name Club SP FS Total
1 10 Goku Endo, Los Angeles FSC 54.11 (2) 102.03 (2) 156.14
2 12 Max Lake, All Year FSC 52.66 (3) 103.11 (1) 155.77
3 7 Nicholas Hsieh, SC of Wilmington 56.75 (1) 94.89 (6) 151.64
4 11 Lucas Altieri, Panthers FSC 48.65 (4) 95.98 (4) 144.63
5 5 Chase Finster, Northern Kentucky SC 41.40 (9) 101.04 (3) 142.44
6 4 Nathan Chapple, Shaker FSC 44.74 (7) 95.86 (5) 140.60
7 9 Jordan Evans, University of Delaware FSC 45.39 (5) 91.35 (8) 136.74
8 8 Jonathan Yang, St. Paul FSC 44.85 (6) 91.65 (7) 136.50
9 3 Henry Privett-Mendoza, Pasadena FSC 42.88 (8) 76.20 (10) 119.08
10 1 Daniel Argueta, Texas Gulf Coast FSC 36.04 (12) 80.79 (9) 116.83
11 2 Joshua Simkin, FSC of Southern California 36.75 (11) 75.34 (11) 112.09
12 6 Eric Prober, Pines FSC 40.21 (10) 64.93 (12) 105.14

[Novice Men SP results/protocols]
Top 4:
1 Nicholas Hsieh, SC of Wilmington 56.75 (3Lz, 3T+2T, 2A; level 4 spins & step seq.)
2 Goku Endo, Los Angeles FSC 54.11 (3T+2T, 3S, 2A)
3 Max Lake, All Year FSC 52.66 (3T+3T, 3Lz, 2A)
4 Lucas Altieri, Panthers FSC 48.65 (3S+3T, 3F<< fall, 2A; level 4 spins & step seq.)

EVENT RECAPS & PHOTOS:
Novice Men SP recap by Elvin Walker for IceNetwork

Despite some small bobbles and a timing deduction, Nicholas Hsieh, a 15-year-old from West Chester, Pennsylvania, set the novice men’s pace with 56.75 points.
“I feel like I had to fight to perform well,” Hsieh admitted after the competition. “But I am happy that I was able to skate decently.”
Performing to Disturbed’s haunting version of “The Sound of Silence,” the leader opened an unsteady triple lutz that was intended to be his combination. Thinking quickly on his feet, Hsieh was able to save the program by tacking a double toe loop onto a planned triple toe loop.
“My lutz wasn’t very good, but I am happy I fought for it,” he explained. “I did not land a single one in the warm-up, but I was confident even if the landing was a bit off.”
His coach, Viktor Pfeifer, credits Hsieh’s commitment to training for his strong performance.
“He is very special with skating skills and artistry, but he is the kind of person who needs repetition in order to gain consistency,” Pfeifer explained. “I am very proud of him. Even if his jumps weren’t perfect in the air, he was still able to do his job.”
In second place is Goku Endo, who is within striking distance of the leader after earning 54.11 points.
“It felt really fun,” Endo said of his performance. “I don’t have the hard jumps, but I think that I did OK for what I can do.”
The 14-year-old opened with a triple toe loop-double toe loop combination, and opted for a solo triple salchow in his The Business of Love program. Despite earning positive Grades of Execution on all six of his elements, Endo was disappointed with his levels.
“My last spin and my footwork were level 3,” he pointed out. “I think that I must have been short of rotation on one of my positions in the spin, and I must have missed a cluster or a body (feature) in the footwork.”
In finishing third, Max Lake skated a ghostly performance to Gary Moore’s “The Messiah Will Come Again” while feeling under the weather.
“I’ve had a cold for about a week, and it’s just not going away,” he lamented. “I’m surprised that it went so well.”
The 15-year-old opened with a triple toe loop-triple toe loop, which helped him to the second-highest technical score of the day.
“I had a few trips into some of the elements, and my jump landings weren’t so good,” he said. “But I was able to overcome adversity to skate a pretty clean program, and I am happy with that.”
A native of Carlsbad, California, Lake finished with 52.66 points.

Novice Men SP action photos (top 10)
Novice Men FS recap by Elvin Walker for IceNetwork

Goku Endo, who hails from Harbor City, California, captured the novice men’s title by the slimmest of margins, as he held off Lake by a mere 0.37 points.
“It feels really good,” he said of the win. “It wasn’t my best performance, but I am happy with the result.”
Skating to “El Tango de Roxanne” from Moulin Rouge!, Endo started strong, executing a triple toe loop-double toe loop combination. He did suffer two major errors that nearly cost him the title, though: a pop on his planned triple loop and a fall on a triple toe.
“I popped the loop and fell on a triple toe. I was probably thinking too much on my loop approach, and then I think I hesitated on the toe loop and lost too much speed,” Endo said.
Angela Nikodinov, who coaches Endo, believes the 14-year-old lost his focus after the mishap on the loop, and from that moment on, the program seemed to get away from him.
“Of course, I am ecstatic that he is the novice men’s national champion, but that was not his best,” Nikodinov admitted. “He is working hard on improving his consistency, and this is uncharacteristic of what he does at home.”
Still, Endo was especially pleased with the spins in his program.
“They were all Level 4, so that is an improvement over the short program,” he noted. “My coaches kept telling me in the warm-up to check my positions, so that really helped me.”
Endo finished second in both phases of the competition, but his total score of 156.14 points was enough to propel him to the top of the podium.
Lake, who sat third after the short program, landed six triple jumps — including a gorgeous axel — and moved up to second place overall. His “Cello Conterto in E” program was performed with maturity and a quiet confidence.
“It feels great,” the silver medalist said. “It’s the best that I have ever done at nationals.”
Lake might have won the title had it not been for a fluke fall on a spin, an error that cost him a 0.50-point deduction.
“I’m happy that I was able to do the axel, but my spins didn’t help me at all today,” Lake said. “Overall, I am happy with my jumps and with my performance.”
He finished with 155.77 points overall.
Overnight leader Nicholas Hsieh struggled during his Muse routine, but his performance was still worthy of the bronze medal.
“I’m a little disappointed, and I know that I could have done better,” Hsieh said. “I am happy that I got a medal, and that I fought through the program.”
The 15-year-old fell three times and was credited with just two clean triple jumps in what proved to be the sixth-best free skate of the competition.
“I guess it just wasn’t my day today,” said Hsieh, who ended with an event total of 151.64 points. “I fell apart a bit in the second half after I fell on my axel. My spins weren’t very good, either.”
Lucas Altieri completed his visit to San Jose in fourth place with 144.63 points.

Novice Men FS action photos (top 10 & podium)

COMPETITOR PROFILES (listed by age, youngest to oldest):

Goku Endo
Age: 14; 5/20/03
Club: Los Angeles FSC
Training Town: Harbor City, CA
Coach: Ivan Dinev, Angela Nikodinov
Choreographer: Derrick Delmore
SP: “This Business of Love” from The Mask film soundtrack by Domino
FS: “El Tango de Roxanne” from the Moulin Rouge film soundtrack, performed by Ewan McGregor, Jose Feliciano, Jacek Koman
Scores & placement at Sectionals: 50.79(SP)/107.13(FS)/157.92 (P1)
SP jumps (Sectionals): 3T+2T, 3S, 2A
FS planned jumps (Sectionals): 3T+2T, 3Lo, 3S+2T, 3T, 3S, 2A, 2A+1Lo+2F
Notes: He made his JGP debut in Croatia this fall (one of 2 Novice level boys selected). He was 6th in Intermediate last year.

Eric Prober
Age: 15; 12/11/02
Club: Pines FSC
Training Town: Pembroke Pines, FL
Coach: Aaron Gillespie, John Kerr, John Zimmerman
Choreographer: Nadine Kerr, Silvia Fontana
SP: “Luck Be A Lady” performed by Frank Sinatra
FS: “November Rain” by Guns N’ Roses
Scores & placement at Sectionals: 47.64(SP)/94.03(FS)/141.67 (N2)
SP planned jumps (Sectionals): 2A, 3F+2T, 3Lo
FS planned jumps (Sectionals): 3F+2T, 3Lo, 2A+1Lo+3S, 2A, 3F, 3S, 3T+2T
Notes: He is the Eastern Sectional silver medalist after having placed 5th (1st alternate to Nationals) in Novice at Easterns last year.

Nicholas Hsieh
Age: 15; 9/19/02
Club: Wilmington, DE
Training Town: SC of Wilmington
Coach: Viktor Pfeifer
Choreographer: Irina Romanova
SP: Simon & Garfunkel’s “The Sound of Silence” performed by Disturbed
FS: Exogenesis: Symphony Part 1 & 2 by Muse
Scores & placement at Sectionals: 49.07(SP)/97.81(FS)/146.88 (P3)
SP planned jumps (Sectionals): 3Lz, 3T+2T, 2A
FS planned jumps (Sectionals): 3Lz, 3T, 3T+1Lo+3S, 2A+2T, 3Lz+2T, 2A, 2Lz
Notes: He made his JGP debut in Belarus this fall (one of 2 Novice level boys selected). He was the Intermediate silver medalist last year and 6th in Juvenile in 2016.

Henry Privett-Mendoza
Age: 15; 8/13/02
Club: Pasadena FSC
Training Town: El Segundo, CA
Coach: Robert Taylor, Rudy Galindo
Choreographer: R. Galindo
SP: “Arabian Dance” from The Nutcracker by Tchaikovsky
FS: Music from the Angels & Demons film soundtrack by Hans Zimmer
Scores & placement at Sectionals: 38.63(SP)/65.37(FS)/104.00 (P4)
SP planned jumps (Sectionals): 3S, 3Lo+2Lo, 2A
FS planned jumps (Sectionals): 3Lo+2T, 2Lz, 2A, 2A+2Lo, 3Lo, 3S, 2Lz+2Lo+2T
Notes: He was 11th in Intermediate in 2017 and 12th in Intermediate in 2016.

Max Lake
Age: 15; 3/6/02
Club: All Year FSC
Training Town: Carlsbad, CA
Coach: Jonathan Cassar, Colleen Mickey
Choreographer: J. Cassar
SP: “The Messiah Will Come Again” by Gary Moore
FS: Cello Concerto by Edward Elgar, performed by Jacqueline du Pre
Scores & placement at Sectionals: 52.43(SP)/101.44(FS)/153.87 (P2)
SP jumps (Sectionals): 3T+3T, 3Lz, 2A
FS planned jumps (Sectionals): 3Lz, 3A (new jump), 3F, 3S+2T, 3T+1Lo+3S, 3T, 2A+2A seq.
Notes: He placed 9th in Novice in 2016.

Lucas Altieri
Age: 16; 8/15/01
Club: Panthers SC
Training Town: Coral Springs, FL
Coach: Douglas Haw, Ilona Melnichenko
Choreographer: Ilona Melnichenko
SP: “Incantation” from Cirque du Soleil
FS: “Hey You”/”Another Brink in the Wall” by Pink Floyd
Scores & placement at Sectionals: 49.08(SP)/89.72(FS)/138.80 (P3)
SP planned jumps (Sectionals): 3S+3T, 3F, 2A
FS planned jumps (Sectionals): 3F+2T, 3Lz, 3Lo+1Lo+3S, 3F, 2A+3T, 3Lo, 2A
Notes: He placed 5th in Novice last year and was the 2016 U.S. Intermediate pewter medalist.

Jonathan Yang
Age: 16; 6/26/01
Club: St. Paul FSC
Training Town: St. Paul, MN
Coach: Melissa Jasperson, Benjamin Miller Reisman
Choreographer: Jamie Isley
SP: “Still Lovin’ You”/music from Moment of Glory by Scorpions with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra
FS: “Nut Rocker” by Robert Wells
Scores & placement at Sectionals: 50.60(SP)/95.65(FS)/146.25 (M1)
SP jumps (Sectionals): 3Lz, 3Lo+2T, 2A
FS planned jumps (Sectionals): 3Lz, 3Lo+2T, 3T+2T+2Lo, 3Lo, 3T, 2A+2Lo, 2A
Notes: He placed 9th in Novice last year and was 5th in Intermediate in 2016.

Chase Finster
Age: 16; 6/26/01
Club: Northern Kentucky FSC
Training Town: Louisville, KY
Coach: Stephanie Miller
Choreographer: Phillip Mills
SP: “Chasing Cars” by Snow Petrol
FS: Simon & Garfunkel’s “The Sound of Silence” performed by Disturbed
Scores & placement at Sectionals: 39.58(SP)/89.89(FS)/129.47 (P3)
SP planned jumps (Sectionals): 3F+2T, 2A, 3Lz
FS planned jumps (Sectionals): 3F, 2A+2T, 3Lz, 3S, 3T, 3S+2T, 2A
Notes: He won the Juvenile Pairs national title last year (with Sydney Flaum) and decided to focus on singles this season.

Jordan Evans
Age: 16; 4/1/01
Club: University of Delaware FSC
Training Town: Newark, DE
Coach: Jeffrey DiGregorio, Pam Gregory
Choreographer: Kristine Bingham, Nathan Birch
SP: “Fever” performed by Elvis Presley and Michael Buble
FS: “Dance for Me Wallis” from W.E. and music Romeo & Juliet film soundtracks by Abel Korzeniowski
Scores & placement at Sectionals: 49.20(SP)/87.12(FS)/136.32 (N4)
SP planned jumps (Sectionals): 3S+3Lo, 3F, 2A
FS planned jumps (Sectionals): 3S+3Lo, 3Lz+2T, 3Lo, 3S, 2A, 3T, 2A+2T+2Lo
Notes: He placed 7th in Novice last year and was the 2016 U.S. Intermediate bronze medalist.

Joshua Simkin
Age: 17; 11/10/00
Club: FSC of Southern California
Training Town: Los Angeles, CA
Coach: Eric Millot
Choreographer: Alex Chang
SP: “Uptown Funk” by Bruno Mars
FS: “Poliushko Polie” performed by Andre Rieu & his orchestra and music from Fiddler on the Roof played by violinist Isaac Stern
Scores & placement at Sectionals: 38.86(SP)/76.95(FS)/115.81 (P3)
SP planned jumps (Sectionals): 3T, 3S+2T, 2A
FS planned jumps (Sectionals): 3S+2T, 3Lo, 3T+1A seq., 3T, 3S, 2A+2T+2Lo, 2A
Notes: He was 10th in Intermediate in 2016.

Daniel Argueta
Age: 17; 4/18/00
Club: Texas Gulf Coast FSC
Training Town: Sugar Land, TX
Coach: Val Prudsky, Elena Prudsky
Choreographer: E. Prudsky, Evgueni Nemirovskii
SP: “Blues for Klook” by Eddy Louiss
FS: “Our Destiny” by Thomas Bergersen
Scores & placement at Sectionals: 39.72(SP)/87.49(FS)/127.21 (M4)
SP planned jumps (Sectionals): 3F, 3S+2T, 2A
FS planned jumps (Sectionals): 3F, 3Lz, 3S, 2A, 3Lo, 3Lo+2T, 2A+2T
Notes: He was the Intermediate pewter medalist last year.

Nathan Chapple
Age: 18; 10/5/99
Club: Shaker FSC
Training Town: Shaker Heights, OH
Coach: Sherry Marvin
Choreographer: Parker Pennington, Jacqueline Henry
SP: “Sadness and Sorrow” by Taylor Davis
FS: Music from The Man in the Iron Mask film soundtrack by Nick Glennie-Smith
Scores & placement at Sectionals: 46.01(SP)/87.53(FS)/133.54 (M2)
SP jumps (Sectionals): 3Lz+2T, 2A, 3F
FS planned jumps (Sectionals): 2A, 3F+1Lo+2S, 3S+2T, 3Lz, 3T, 2A+2T, 3S
Notes: January 2016 Cleveland local news feature on him when he was named
high school athlete of the week: [Watch Video]

2018 U.S. Nationals: Novice Ladies

Links will open in a new window: [Novice Ladies final standings/FS protocols]

GOLD – Beverly Zhu, All Year FSC 54.91 (1) 112.78 (1) 167.69
SILVER – Emilea Zingas, St. Clair Shores FSC 43.43 (6) 89.25 (3) 132.68
BRONZE – Violeta Ushakova, SC of New York 46.76 (3) 84.76 (5) 131.52
PEWTER – Calista Choi, Skokie Valley SC 40.90 (10) 90.30 (2) 131.20
5 Noelle Rosa, Salt Lake Figure Skating 44.22 (5) 86.64 (4) 130.86
6 Sophia Chouinard, Panthers FSC 42.03 (8) 83.96 (6) 125.99
7 Christina Lin, Murray Silver Blades FSC 48.29 (2) 77.29 (8) 125.58
8 Sarah Jung, Columbia FSC (MD) 41.68 (9) 81.40 (7) 123.08
9 Jessica Lin, Dallas FSC 42.50 (7) 76.00 (10) 118.50
10 Ariela Masarsky, DuPage FSC 45.75 (4) 72.04 (11) 117.79
11 Maddie Weiler, SC of Boston 40.71 (11) 76.85 (9) 117.56
WD Amie Miyagi, Salt Lake Figure Skating (12 SP) 33.45

[Novice Ladies SP results/protocols]
Top 4 in SP:
1 Beverly Zhu, All Year FSC 54.91 (3F+2T, 3Lo, 2A & all level 4s)
2 Christina Lin, Murray Silver Blades FSC 48.29 (3Lz+2T-, 3Lo-, 2A)
3 Violeta Ushakova, SC of New York 46.76 (3Lo fall, 3T+2T, 2A & 2nd highest PCS after Zhu)
4 Ariela Masarsky, DuPage FSC 45.75 (3F+2T, 3T, 2A)

EVENT RECAPS & PHOTOS:
Novice Ladies SP recap by Elvin Walker for IceNetwork

In her U.S. championships debut, 15 year-old Beverly Zhu stole away with the lead, earning 54.91 points with a delicate program to Yiruma and Henry Lau’s River Flows in You.
“It feels really good,” the Calabasas, California, resident said after the competition. “I did everything that I could today, and I am pretty surprised with the result.
Zhu opened with a strong triple flip-double toe loop combination and also landed her triple loop with ease. However, it was her three level 4 elements and positive Grades of Execution across the board that really separated Zhu from the pack.
“I knew that some of the other girls had harder jumps, but I knew that I could make that up because of my levels,” she explained.
Zhu’s performance was packed with intricate transitions and conveyed a softness that suits her long limbs.
“I try to make myself calm when I perform,” she pointed out. “I think that when I am calm, the audience can relax and enjoy the performance.”
Finishing in second place was Christina Lin from Murray, Utah. The 13 year-old struggled with her jump landings, turning out of the first half of a triple lutz-double toe loop combination and again on her solo triple loop.
“There are some definite improvements that can be made,” she said. “Obviously, the jump landings were shaky, but I feel like my performance level was there even if it wasn’t full out.”
Despite the errors, Lin performed with passion and crispness in her “Pa’ Bailar” program, and she will take 48.29 points into Wednesday’s free skate.
Violeta Ushakova finished third with 46.76 points. The 13-year-old from Clifton Park, New York, opened with an unsteady triple loop but recovered to perform the rest of her tango program cleanly.
“It could have gone better,” Ushakova said. “It was a good experience, but I missed my loop, so I am really disappointed.”
Like Lin, Ushakova also earned high program component scores with her bold and brassy choreography.
“This was much better than last year,” Ushakova said, referring to her sixth-place finish in intermediate. “I’m just trying to stay calm and focused for the free skate.”

Novice Ladies SP action photos (top 10)
Novice Ladies FS recap by Elvin Walker for IceNetwork

Before she arrived in San Jose, Beverly Zhu was doubtful about her chances of making the novice ladies podium. On Wednesday, however, the high school sophomore stole away with the top prize, besting the rest of the field by more than 35 points. Her competition total of 167.69 set a new U.S. championships record for a novice lady.
“This is unbelievable,” she said with a dazed look on her face. “I never thought that I would medal. I just wanted to do what I can do in practice, and today I was able to put it out there.”
The champion landed six triple jumps, including an opening triple flip-triple toe loop combination, in her Miss Saigon free skate.
Zhu seemed nonplussed by her triple-triple accomplishment.
“I had all of my triples consistent except for the lutz,” she explained. “So, we decided to go for a triple-triple. It took some practice, but it eventually came. I am happy that I was able to do it today.”
Moving up from sixth place after the short program to capture the silver medal, Emilea Zingas was over the moon with her free skate performance.
“I feel amazing,” she said. “I wanted to skate with no regrets because this was the last time I got to perform this program. I am so excited to be on the podium.”
Performing to the skating staple “Malagueña,” Zingas woke up the crowd with her snappy choreography and fiery facial expressions. She also threw in some strong technical content, including an opening triple lutz-double toe loop combination. Zingas had just one notable mistake — a fall on her triple salchow in the middle of the program.
“The components are a bit tricky, but I feel great about the way that I performed today,” she admitted. “The triple sal is a jump that I do all the time, so that was a bit frustrating, but I am overall very happy with how things went.”
Zingas earned 89.25 points in the free skate and a competition total of 132.68.
Sixth in the competition last year, Violeta Ushakova finished with the bronze medal, even though she not happy with the way she skated.
“That was not my best at all,” she lamented. “I’m not going to lie. I was a bit nervous, but I tried to stay calm and perform well.”
Ushakova landed three triple jumps in her Samson & Delilah program, for which she earned 84.76 points, but she was plagued by small errors throughout. Still, with a competition total of 131.52, the bronze medalist was happy with her result.
“It’s amazing,” she said. “This is my second time here, so placing third is really exciting.”
Calista Choi had the second-best free skate of the day en route to a fourth-place finish. She overcame a 10th-place showing in the short to finish with 131.20 points.

Novice Ladies FS action photos (top 10 & podium)

COMPETITOR PROFILES (listed by age, youngest to oldest):

Christina Lin
Age: 13; 12/25/04
Club: Murray Silver Blades FSC
Training Town:
Coach/Choreographer: Evgenia Chernyshova
SP: “Pa’ Bailar by Bajofondo Tango Club ft. Ryota Komatsu
FS: “Paint It Black” by Ciara
Scores & placement at Sectionals: 41.27(SP)/102.05(FS)/143.32 (P1)
SP planned jumps (Sectionals): 3Lz+2T, 3Lo, 2A
FS planned jumps (Sectionals): 3Lz+2T, 3Lo+2T, 2A+1Lo(half loop)+3S, 3Lo, 3Lz, 2A
Notes: She is the Pacific Coast Sectional champion. She was 5th in Intermediate last year and 6th in Juvenile in 2016.

Violeta Ushakova
Age: 13; 12/15/04
Club: SC of New York
Training Town: Clifton Park, NY
Coach: Kelly Ushakova, Yuri Ushakov
Choreographer: K. Ushakova, Larisa Selezneva
SP: Tango by Edvin Marton
FS: “Mon coeur s’ouvre a ta voix” from Samson et Delila by Camille Saint-Saens
Scores & placement at Sectionals: 46.94(SP)/83.32(FS)/130.26 (P3)
SP planned jumps (Sectionals): 3S+2T, 3T, 2A
FS planned jumps (Sectionals): 2A, 3S, 3T, 3S+2T, 3T+2T+2Lo, 2A+2Lo
Notes: She was 6th in Intermediate last year.

Calista Choi
Age: 13; 8/30/04
Club: Skokie Valley SC
Training Town: Buffalo Grove, IL
Coach: Denise Myers, Sandi Delfs
Choreographer: Shanetta Folle
SP: “Fantasia” by Pavlo (Greek folk music-inspired)
FS: music from the Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind soundtrack by Joe Hisaishi
Scores & placement at Sectionals: 44.60(SP)/79.63(FS)/124.23 (M4)
SP planned jumps (Sectionals): 3S, 3T+2T, 2A
FS planned jumps (Sectionals): 2A, 3T, 3Lo, 3S, 3T+2T, 2Lz+2T+2Lo
Notes: She placed 11th in Intermediate last year.

Jessica Lin
Age: 13; 1/7/04
Club: Dallas FSC
Training Town: McKinney, TX
Coach: Sergey Artemov
Choreographer: Anya Artemova
SP: “Megapolis” by Bel Suono
FS: “Waltz of the Rain” by Frederic Chopin & music from W.E. soundtrack by Abel Korzeniowski
Scores & placement at Sectionals: 37.64(SP)/86.69(FS)/127.33 (M3)
SP planned jumps (Sectionals): 3T+3T, 3F, 2A
FS planned jumps (Sectionals): 3F+2T, 3T-1Lo-3S, 3Lo, 2A+2T, 3Lz, 3T
Notes: She placed 9th in Intermediate last year.

Sarah Jung
Age: 14; 12/30/03
Club: Columbia FSD (MD)
Training Town: Ellicott City, MD
Coach: Vincent Restencourt, Pavel Filchenkov
Choreographer: Chris Conte
SP: “Shatter Me” performed by Lindsey Stirling ft. Lzzy Hale
FS: “Se” from Cinema Paradiso by Ennio Morricone, performed by Jackie Evancho
Scores & placement at Sectionals: 41.25(SP)/89.00(FS)/130.25 (E3)
SP planned jumps (Sectionals): 3Lz+2T, 3F, 2A
FS planned jumps (Sectionals): 3Lz+2T, 3F+1Lo+3S, 3Lz, 3F, 3Lo, 2A+2T
Notes: She is the South Atlantic Regional silver medalist.

Amie Miyagi
Age: 14; 8/24/03
Club: Salt Lake Figure Skating
Training Town: Salt Lake City, UT
Coach: Lisa Kriley
Choreographer: Jana Hueblevi, Olga Volozhinskaya
SP: “Once Upon A December” by Liz Callaway
FS: Music from Giselle by Adolph Adam
Scores & placement at Sectionals: 50.19(SP)/70.39(FS)/120.58 (P4)
SP planned jumps (Sectionals): 3Lz+2T, 3S, 2A
FS planned jumps (Sectionals): 3Lz+2T, 3Lz, 3S, 3T, 3S+2T, 2A+1Lo+2F
Notes: She placed 8th in Intermediate last year.

Maddie Weiler
Age: 14; 4/27/03
Club: SC of Boston
Training Town: Boston, MA
Coach: Suna Murray, Sergey Minaev
Choreographer: Drew Meekins
SP: “Tears of an Angel” by Amy Guess
FS: “Gravity” by Sara Bareilles
Scores & placement at Sectionals: 44.14(SP)/87.50(FS)/131.64 (E1)
SP planned jumps (Sectionals): 3T+2T, 3Lo, 2A
FS planned jumps (Sectionals): 2A+2Lo, 3T+2T+2Lo, 3Lo+2T, 3Lo, 3T, 3S
Notes: She is the Eastern Sectional champion.

Noelle Rosa
Age: 14; 3/20/03
Club: Salt Lake Figure Skating
Training Town: Salt Lake City, UT
Coach: Lisa Kriley
Choreographer: Olga Volozhinskaya, L. Kriley
SP: “Spanish Flame” by Maxime Rodriguez
FS: “Not About Angels” by Birdy
Scores & placement at Sectionals: 42.34(SP)/82.93(FS)/125.27 (P3)
SP planned jumps (Sectionals): 3F+2T, 3Lz, 2A
FS planned jumps (Sectionals): 3F+2T, 3Lz, 2A+1Lo+3S, 3Lo, 3F+2T, 2A
Notes: She placed 7th in Intermediate last year.

Beverly Zhu
Age: 15; 9/19/02
Club: All Year FSC
Training Town: Torrance, CA
Coach: Derrick Delmore, Ivan Dinev
Choreographer: D. Delmore
SP: “River Flows In You” by Yiruma and Henry Lau
FS: Music from Miss Saigon performed by Lea Salonga
Scores & placement at Sectionals: 48.30(SP)/85.85(FS)/134.15 (P2)
SP planned jumps (Sectionals): 3F, 3Lo+2T, 2A
FS planned jumps (Sectionals): 3F+3T, 3S, 3Lo+2A seq., 3Lo, 3S+1Lo+2F, 2A
Notes: She is the Southwest Pacific Regional champion and placed 5th in Novice at Pacific Coast Sectionals last year.

Ariela Masarsky
Age: 15; 5/24/02
Club: DuPage FSC
Training Town: Northbrook, IL
Coach: Valeria Masarsky, Akexander Ouriashev
Choreographer: V. Masarsky
SP: “Paint It Black” by Ciara
FS: Music from the Schindler’s List soundtrack by John Williams, performed by Itzak Perlman
Scores & placement at Sectionals: 45.11(SP)/93.08(FS)/138.19 (M1)
SP planned jumps (Sectionals): 3F, 3T+2T, 2A
FS planned jumps (Sectionals): 3F, 3T+2T, 3F+2T, 3S, 3T, 2A+1Lo+2F
Notes: She was the Intermediate bronze medalist last year.

Emilea Zingas
Age: 15; 4/22/02
Club: St. Clair Shores FSC
Training Town: St. Clair Shores, MI
Coach: Lindsay Page-O’Donoghue, Brooke Castile O’Keefe
Choreographer: B. Castile O’Keefe
SP: “Fireball” by Pitbull
FS: Malagueña by Lecuona performed by 101 Strings Orchestra
Scores & placement at Sectionals: 52.28(SP)/84.16(FS)/136.44 (M2)
SP jumps (Sectionals): 3Lz+2T, 3F, 2A
FS planned jumps (Sectionals): 3Lz+2T, 3F, 3S+2T, 3T, 2A+1Lo+2F, 2A
Notes: She is the Eastern Great Lakes Regional champion.

Sophia Chouinard
Age: 15; 3/12/02
Club: Panthers FSC
Training Town: Coral Springs, FL
Coach: Curtis Chornopyski, Ilona Melnichenko, Artem Torgashev
Choreographer: I. Melnichenko
SP: Bolero by Maurice Ravel
FS: Adagio from Spartacus by Aram Khachaturian
Scores & placement at Sectionals: 42.24(SP)/84.19(FS)/126.43 (E4)
SP planned jumps (Sectionals): 3T, 3S+2T, 2A
FS planned jumps (Sectionals): 3S+2T, 3T+2T, 3S, 3T, 2A, 2F+2Lo+2Lo
Notes: She was the 2016 Intermediate silver medalist and 2015 Juvenile champion.

2018 U.S. Nationals: Novice Pairs

Links will open in a new window:
[Novice Pairs FS results/protocols]
Final standings:
GOLD – Jade Hom, Colonial FSC / Franz-Peter Jerosch, North Atlantic FSC 46.67 (1) 80.32 (1) 126.99
SILVER – Joanna Hubbart, Champions’ Edge SC / William Hubbart, Champions’ Edge SC 40.31 (7) 78.00 (2) 118.31
BRONZE – Masha Mokhova, Lansing SC / Ivan Mokhov, Lansing SC 43.70 (2) 72.94 (5) 116.64
PEWTER – Ellie McClellan, Champions’ Edge SC / Jim Garbutt, Champions’ Edge SC 40.04 (8) 73.80 (4) 113.84
5 Hilary Asher, Lone Star FSC / Nathaniel Dennler, Colonial FSC 41.19 (4) 71.65 (6) 112.84
6 Ashley Haywood, Lakewood Winter Club / Alec Schmitt, Bremerton FSC 36.57 (10) 74.17 (3) 110.74
7 Jasmine Fendi, Los Angeles FSC / Joshua Fendi, Los Angeles FSC 41.30 (3) 68.73 (7) 110.03
8 Isabelle Goldstein, Detroit SC / Keyton Bearinger, Detroit SC 40.51 (5) 66.39 (9) 106.90
9 Georgia Bush, Central Florida FSC / Timmy Chapman, Central Florida FSC 38.85 (9) 67.51 (8) 106.36
10 Sarah Burden, Broadmoor SC / Jake Pagano, Nashville FSC 40.41 (6) 65.76 (10) 106.17
11 Isabelle Martins, Chicago FSC / Ryan Bedard, Northern Ice SC 35.33 (11) 59.42 (11) 94.75
12 Paige Ruggeri, Garden State SC / Christopher Aaron Singletary, Hudson Valley FSC 30.82 (12) 55.94 (12) 86.76
13 Milena Markin, Los Angeles FSC / Matthew Essigmann, Ithaca Area FSA 24.42 (13) 45.13 (13) 69.55

[Novice Pairs SP results/protocols]
Top 8 in SP
1 Jade Hom, Colonial FSC / Franz-Peter Jerosch, North Atlantic FSC 46.67
2 Masha Mokhova / Ivan Mokhov, both Lansing SC 43.70
3 Jasmine Fendi / Joshua Fendi, both Los Angeles FSC 41.30
4 Hilary Asher, Lone Star FSC / Nathaniel Dennler, Colonial FSC 41.19
5 Isabelle Goldstein / Keyton Bearinger, both Detroit SC 40.51
6 Sarah Burden, Broadmoor SC / Jake Pagano, Nashville FSC 40.41
7 Joanna Hubbart / William Hubbart, both Champions’ Edge SC 40.31
8 Ellie McClellan / Jim Garbutt, both Champions’ Edge SC 40.04

IceNetwork’s ARTICLES & PHOTOS:
Short Program recap article by Lynn Rutherford

Jade Hom and Franz-Peter Jerosch have only skated together for seven months, which is precisely the sum total of Hom’s experience in the pairs discipline. Despite their lack of experience, the pair handled themselves like veterans on Monday night in San Jose, beating out 12 other teams to take a near three-point lead after the novice pairs short program.
The skaters, who train in Boxborough, Massachusetts, under Bobby Martin and Carrie Wall, showed good speed and flow throughout their short to an instrumental version of One Direction’s “The Story of My Life,” choreographed by Sheryl Franks. They landed a fine double twist and throw double loop, and although Hom stepped out of the double lutz, ended with a strong death spiral, with Hom in an exceptionally low position. All told, they notched 46.67 points.
“It was awesome. The whole time, we really enjoyed it,” Jerosch, 16, said. “We really went out and attacked it. That was our goal, and we achieved it.”
“We worked on the steps and flow a lot,” Hom, 14, added. “There were ups and downs with the program, but this felt great.”
Martin, who coached two-time U.S. pair champions Marissa Castelli and Simon Shnapir, thinks his new team has what it takes to go the distance.
“Jade is new to pairs, and they are a wonderful match,” he said. “Franz has been with us for a long time. I can really see this pair sticking and lasting for a significant time.”
“She’s very coachable, and the kids have a good connection together both on and off the ice,” Wall added.
Siblings Masha Mokhova and Ivan Mokhov, who hail from Lansing, Michigan, sit second with 43.70 points after showing a difficult lift with many changes of position, as well as a high double twist in their short to music from Zorba the Greek.
“Our main goal was to skate clean and we accomplished that,” Ivan, 18, said. “This is our best score yet.”
“I was ready with the scores no matter what we got,” Masha, 11, said. “I was very happy I landed everything.”
Their skating is a true family affair: their parents, Andrey Mokhov and Oksana Yakusheva, former performers with Disney on Ice and Russian All-Stars, are their coaches. Ivan has competed at the U.S. championships with other partners, but says this time around is special.
“I skate for her, and she skates for me, we’re working as one big machine,” he said. “I’m always trying to be the big brother.”
“And I’m always trying to help him,” Masha added. “We skate for each other.”
Another brother-and-sister duo, Jasmine Fendi and Joshua Fendi, took third place with a near-clean short to the lyrical “Charms” that notched 41.30 points. The Los Angeles-based team, coached by Peter Oppegard, overcame Joshua’s flu-like illness to land the strongest throw double loop of the event, as well as Level 4 steps and pairs spin.
“I really like the step sequence in the program. I was really able to connect with Joshua,” said Jasmine.
“Sometimes, you have to skate when you’re sick,” Oppegard said. “They held it together well.”
Hillary Asher and Nathaniel Dennler, who train in Texas under Peter and Darlene Cain, sit fourth with 41.19 points.

Free Skate recap article by Elvin Walker

Jade Hom and Franz-Peter Jerosch captured the novice pairs title Tuesday night at the 2018 U.S. Figure Skating Championships in San Jose, fighting through illness to stand atop the podium in their first season as a team.
“We both feel extremely excited,” Jerosch chuckled. “This has been an amazing experience. It was definitely our best performance this season, and we are just thrilled.”
Skating to music from Pocahontas, the duo performed the roles of heroine and John Smith with nothing short of conviction. Struggling with a cold over the last week, however, did not allow Hom to perform up to her own expectations.
“You have to listen to your body and treat it well,” Hom offered. “When you’re not feeling well and have to perform, you have to stay focused so that you can do your job.”
Hom and Jerosch singled an intended throw double axel, and struggled with landings on the solo jumps, but still managed to win the free skate with 80.32 points. They finished with 126.99 points overall.
“I think she’s extremely strong,” Jerosch said of his partner. “I am very proud of everything she had to overcome tonight.”
Moving up from seventh after the short program to win silver was the team of Joanna Hubbart and William Hubbart. The siblings were propelled by the strongest technical score of the evening, earning a total of 78.00 points in the free skate and 118.31 overall.
“We had to fight for our performance today,” William explained. “We just didn’t feel on, but we fought through it and put out a good performance.”
The brother-and-sister duo skated to Muse’s “Exogenesis: Symphony Part 3,” captivating the audience with celestial choreography that hit all the right crescendos. While their program included visually appealing program components, it was the execution of strong technical elements that took center stage.
“Our twist has improved so much, and our (throw double) loop felt good, ” Joanna said. “It was nice to have the support of our club tonight in the audience. They do a lot for us, and it helped push us in our performance.”
Finishing in third place was Masha Mokhova and Ivan Mokhov, another sibling duo who ended their hard-fought program with 72.94 points and 116.64 overall. Though they did not receive credit for their death spiral and struggled with a fall on a throw double salchow, the duo did enough to depart the competition with the bronze medal.
“Everything that is considered hard in our program we did well, but we stumbled on things that are easy for us,” Mokhov admitted. “The death spiral is my easiest element and I never miss it. I don’t know what happened.”
Skating to “Chipolino” by Karen Khachaturian, the siblings finished fifth in the free skate, but were able to remain on the podium thanks to a second-place showing in the short program.
“We feel happy and excited,” Mokhova said of earning a medal in these championships. “Last year we won intermediate, so it was nice to be able to get on the podium again.”
Ellie McClellan and Jim Garbutt earned the pewter medal after picking up 113.84 points, while Hilary Asher and Nathaniel Dennler landed fifth with 112.84 points.

SP action photos (top 10 teams) & FS action photos

TEAM PROFILES (listed in order of final standings):

Jade Hom & Franz-Peter Jerosch
Ages: 14 & 16; 5/26/03 & 2/6/01
Training Town: Boxborough, MA
Coach: Carrie Wall, Bobby Martin
Choreographer: Sheryl Franks
SP: “Story of My Life” by One Direction
FS: Selections from the Pocahontas soundtrack (incl. “Just Around the Riverbend”) by Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz
Scores & placement at Sectionals: 40.30(SP)/73.51(FS)/113.81 (E1)
Notes: They are a first year team. He won the silver in Intermediate last year with his previous partner and she is new to pairs.

Joanna Hubbart & William Hubbart
Ages: 18 & 19; 1/25/99 & 1/23/98
Training Town: Wesley Chapel, FL
Coach: John Zimmerman, Silvia Fontana, Jeremy Barrett
Choreographer: J. Zimmerman, S. Fontana
SP: “Now We Are Free” (from Gladiator) by Hans Zimmer and Lisa Gerrard
FS: “Exogenesis: Symphont Part 3” by Muse
Scores at Sectionals: 33.65(SP)/65.54(FS)/99.19 (E2)
They withdrew from Nationals two years in a row due to injury (her in 2016, him in 2017). They were the 2015 Intermediate bronze medalists.
Their younger brother, Nick, is the newly crowned Intermediate Pairs champion (with his first-year partner Zoe Larson) in San Jose.

Masha Mokhova & Ivan Mokhov
Ages: 11 & 18; 8/11/06 & 2/22/99
Training Town: East Lansing, MI
Coach/Choreographer: Andrey Mokhov, Oksana Yakusheva (parents)
SP: Greek folk dance
FS: Chipolino/Cipollino (ballet) by Karen Khachaturian
Scores & placement at Sectionals: 40.54(SP)/82.54(FS)/123.08 (M1)
Notes: They are the 2017 U.S. Intermediate champs.

Ellie McClellan & Jim Garbutt
Ages: 15 & 19; 10/8/02 (M/D/Y) & 3/22/98
Training Town: Wesley Chapel, FL
Coach: Silvia Fontana, John Kerr
Choreographer: Andriy Kyforenko, Mathew Gates
SP: “Dream On” by Steven Tyler
FS: “Glasgow Love Theme” from the Love Actually film soundtrack by Craig Armstrong
Scores & placement at Sectionals: [they skated without most elements just to qualify] (E5)
Notes They are a first year team.

Hilary Asher & Nathaniel Dennler
Ages: 16 & 20; 5/24/01 & 6/30/97
Training Town: McKinney, TX & Acton, MA
Coach: Darlene Cain, Peter Cain
Choreographer: Sheryl Franks
SP: “All Night” and “Clap Your Hands” by Parov Stelar
FS: Selections from Sleeping Beauty by Tchaikovsky
Scores at Sectionals: 38.04(SP)/68.62(FS)/106.66 (M4)
They are a first year team. With previous partners, she was 11th in Novice last year with her former partner and he was 11th in Novice in 2016.

Ashley Haywood & Alec Schmitt
Ages: 18 & 21; 12/14/99 & 4/15/96
Training Town: Tacoma & Bremerton, WA
Coach: Brenda Peterson, Stephen Baker
Choreographer: Outi Francis
SP: “Can’t Stop the Feeling!” from the Trolls film soundtrack by Justin Timberlake
FS: “Keep Your Eyes On Me” by Tim McGraw and Faith Hill
Scores at Sectionals: 31.31(SP)/64.80(FS)/96.11 (P2)
They were 10th in Novice last year.

Jasmine Fendi & Joshua Fendi
Ages: 15 & 15; 4/5/02; 4/5/02 (twins)
Training Town: Artesia, CA
Coach/Choreographer: Peter Oppegard
SP: “Charms” from the W.E. film soundtrack by Abel Korzeniowski
FS: Music from Pirates of the Caribbean by Geoff Zanelli
Scores at Sectionals: 42.01(SP)/66.14(FS)/108.15 (P1)
They placed 6th in Novice last year and were the 2016 U.S. Intermediate champions.

Isabelle Goldstein & Keyton Bearinger
Ages: 14 & 18; 9/1/03 & 1/20/99
Training Town: Bloomfield Hills, MI
Coach/Choreographer: Zuzanna (Szwed) Parchem
SP: “It’s All Coming Back to Me Now” by Meatloaf
FS: “All I Ask of You” performed by Josh Groban and Kelly Clarkson
Scores at Sectionals: 44.01(SP)/78.45(FS)/122.46 (M2)
They were 7th in Novice last year and were the 2016 U.S. Intermediate pewter medalists.

Georgia Bush & Timmy Chapman Central Florida FSC
Ages: 15 & 17; 9/11/02 & 9/25/00
Training Town: Maitland & Orlando, FL
Coach: B-j Shue Chapman, Cheyne Coppage
Choreographer: John Kerr, C. Coppage
SP: “Almost Like Being In Love”/”L-O-V-E” by Nat King Cole
FS: “Burning Love” and “Trouble” by Elvis Presley
Scores & placement at Sectionals: 39.84(SP)/64.76(FS)/104.60 (E2)
Notes They placed 5th in Intermediate last year.

Sarah Burden & Jake Pagano
Ages: 14 & 18; 2/24/03 & 9/5/99
Training Town: Colorado Springs, CO
Coach: Dalilah Sappenfield, Stephanie Kuban
Choreographer: D. Sappenfield, Drew Meekins (FS)
SP: “Imagine” by Giovanni Castillo
FS: Overture/”All That Jazz” from the Chicago soundtrack
Scores & placement at Sectionals: 35.59(SP)/65.44(FS)/101.03 (M5)
Notes They are a first year team. With previous partners last season, he placed 11th in Intermediate and she was 5th in Juvenile.

Isabelle Martins & Ryan Bedard
Ages: 11 & 16; 2/7/06 & 1/11/01
Training Town: Geneva, IL
Coach: Stefania Berton, Rockne Brubaker, Lauryna Andriukaitis
Choreographer: S. Berton
SP: “Thriller” and “Beat It” by Michael Jackson
FS: Music from the La La Land soundtrack by Justin Hurwitz
Scores & placement at Sectionals: 39.48(SP)/77.56(FS)/117.04 (M3)
Notes: They won the bronze in Intermediate last year and Juvenile gold in 2016.

Paige Ruggeri & Christopher Aaron Singletary
Ages: 16 & 22; 11/15/01 & 9/2/95
Training Town: Monmouth, NJ & Newburgh, NY
Coach: Roland Burghart, Larisa Selezneva, Oleg Makarov
Choreographer: L. Selezneva
SP: “Sign of the Times” by Harry Styles
FS: “New York State of Mind” “Uptown Girl” “I’ve Loved These Days” “Scenes” by Billy Joel, Michael Cavanaugh
Scores & placement at Sectionals: 32.53(SP)/54.95(FS)/87.48 (E4)
Notes They are a first year team.

Milena Markin & Matthew Essigmann
Ages: 15 & 23; 3/1/02 & 3/17/94
Training Town: Artesia, CA/Las Vegas & Ithaca, NY
Coach: Peter Oppegard
Choreographer: P. Oppegard, Karen Kwan Oppegard
SP: “Candyman” performed by Christina Aguilera
FS: “Hello Dolly” performed by Bette Midler
Scores & placement at Sectionals: 25.99(SP)/38.20(FS)/64.19 (P3)
Notes: They are a first year team.

2018 U.S. Nationals: Junior Men

Links will open in a new window: [Junior Men Final standings/FS protocols]

GOLD – Camden Pulkinen, Broadmoor SC 67.88 (1) 151.41 (1) 219.29
SILVER – Dinh Tran, SC of San Francisco 67.28 (2) 132.67 (2) 199.95
BRONZE – Maxim Naumov, SC of Boston 64.07 (3) 114.93 (4) 179.00
PEWTER – Ryan Dunk, Baltimore FSC 53.43 (10) 119.25 (3) 172.68
5 Tony Lu, North Jersey FSC 62.43 (4) 104.14 (7) 166.57
6 Alex Wellman, Broadmoor SC 56.23 (8) 104.46 (6) 160.69
7 Paul Yeung, All Year FSC 53.30 (11) 105.41 (5) 158.71
8 Sasha Lunin, Fort Wayne ISC 54.86 (9) 93.81 (8) 148.67
9 Peter Liu, SC of Wilmington 58.33 (5) 85.30 (11) 143.63
10 Patrick Frohling, All Year FSC 52.22 (12) 86.21 (10) 138.43
11 Kendrick Weston, Salt Lake Figure Skating 58.10 (6) 78.73 (12) 136.83
12 Justin Wichmann, Dallas FSC 48.05 (13) 87.90 (9) 135.95
13 Luke Ferrante, SC of Huntsville 56.48 (7) 73.10 (13) 129.58

[Junior Men SP results/protocols]
Top 6 in SP:
1 Camden Pulkinen, Broadmoor SC 67.88
2 Dinh Tran, SC of San Francisco 67.28
3 Maxim Naumov, SC of Boston 64.07
4 Tony Lu, North Jersey FSC 62.43
5 Peter Liu, SC of Wilmington 58.33
6 Kendrick Weston, Salt Lake Figure Skating 58.10

EVENT ARTICLES & PHOTOS (links will open a new window):
Junior Men’s SP recap by Mimi McKinnis for IceNetwork

After capturing the junior men’s silver medal at last season’s U.S. championships, and the same honor this year at the Junior Grand Prix Final, Camden Pulkinen arrived in San Jose with one thing on his mind: winning a gold medal. Thanks to earning the top score in the short program Monday at the 2018 Prudential U.S. Figure Skating Championships in San Jose, California, the 17-year-old is halfway there.
“You know when you haven’t eaten for a few days, then you see an In-N-Out Burger? That’s how hungry I am. That’s how bad I want this title,” Pulkinen said.
While his 67.88 points proved enough for the top mark in the segment, Pulkinen didn’t exactly deliver the kind of performance of his “Fix You” program he was looking for. After opening with a solid triple axel — one that notched all positive Grades of Execution — his planned triple flip combination ended with a single toe loop and a fall, and his ensuing combination spin received negative GOEs across the board.
“Of course, it’s not what I wanted to do today,” Pulkinen said. “I think I was just too hyped up after the axel and the combo got away from me. I definitely know what I need to do moving forward.”
Dinh Tran, who won a bronze medal in novice at this event a year ago, finished less than a point behind Pulkinen. He landed a triple flip-triple toe, triple axel and triple lutz on his way to garnering 67.28 points.
“I focused really hard on training my programs and the triple axel,” Tran said. “I just ran programs again and again to train my endurance. The more you do it, the more consistent your jumps get. Then when you get to competition, you just do it again.”
Tran, who trains in nearby San Francisco, had the support of the crowd throughout his performance, which was set to “Exogenesis: Symphony Part I” by Muse. His program featured two Level 4 spins and the highest technical elements score of the day (37.00).
“I loved having the crowd with me,” he said. “It was really fun to hear their support, but at the end of the day, I was focused on my skating and my performance.”
Even though his charismatic “Luck Be A Lady” program began with a fall on his triple axel, reigning U.S. novice champion Maxim Naumov finished third in the segment with 64.07 points. Despite the hiccup, Naumov earned Level 3 and 4 grading on each spin and step sequence to keep himself in podium position heading into Wednesday’s free skate.
Tony Lu, who finished sixth in 2016, sits fourth with 62.43 points.

San Jose Mercury News article with update on Dinh Tran’s SP
Junior Men SP action photo gallery (top 10)
Junior Men FS action photo gallery (top 10)
The new champion being interviewed after his victory
The bronze medalist poses with his coach & father, Vadim Naumov

Junior Men’s FS recap by Lynn Rutherford for IceNetwork

Take one look at Camden Pulkinen and you’ll notice instantaneously that he’s a perfectionist, from his gracious bearing to the ends of his expressive fingertips.
So when the 17-year-old from Gilbert, Arizona, won the U.S. junior men’s title Wednesday in San Jose, he didn’t initially discuss the superb triple axel-triple toe loop combination he hit at the start of his free skate to Chopin selections, or the equally strong triple axel he hit in the second half. His mind, instead, was fixated on the intended triple flip he doubled and the triple loop he turned out of.
“It’s not what I wanted,” he said, then paused and added, “But I can’t complain. I stayed present; I did two axels, got a new personal best total (219.29 points), did triple axel-triple toe for the first time in competition. There are good things I can think of, too. We’re going to go home and work on the program’s flaws.”
Since moving to Colorado Springs a few seasons ago to train with Tom Zakrajsek, Becky Calvin and Drew Meekins, Pulkinen has been all about just those things: staying present, setting goals and figuring out ways to get better. It’s led him to ballet classes to refine his lines and to sports psychologist Dr. Alex Cohen, who helps him strategize for the pressure-packed moments.
“As soon as I got second (in juniors) last year, I told myself, ‘I’m not going to lose next year,'” Pulkinen said. “The whole season, that’s been in my mind, and everything’s just coming together.”
“Training alongside big names and people with that type of work ethic is an honor,” he said. “I look at them every day and say, ‘In a few years, I want that to be me.’ It’s good to have a model in front of you. I can say, ‘I want to try that in my training,’ but still keep Camden Pulkinen.”
Dinh Tran, who hails from nearby San Francisco, took silver with a strong free skated to “Poeta” by Vincente Amigo and choreographed by Marina Klimova. He hit seven triple jumps — including a triple axel — and, like Pulkinen, skated with style and polish. He finished with 199.95 points.
“I knew it was going to go well because I’ve been training it really hard and ran through it a lot,” said Tran, who trains in Oakland and San Francisco under Jeff Crandell, Igor Samohin and Charyl Bruschaid. “I was confident.”
Tran intended to open his program with a triple lutz-triple toe combination but only did a triple lutz. Last season, that may have thrown him off, but this is a new year.
“I’ve gone through a lot of experience when I messed up on the first jump and let that affect my program,” he said. “A lot of people have talked with me, worked with me. In practice now, I keep going through the whole program and complete it no matter how many times I mess up. That slowly develops a strong mentality.”
Maxim Naumov took the bronze medal despite a severe stomach flu that kept him from eating for 30 hours before the free skate. His triple axel was downgraded by the technical panel, but he landed five additional triples to place third in the free and finish with 179.00 points.
“I felt the sickness overcoming me, and I had to just say ‘no’ and push through,” Naumov said. “At the end, I had a big sense of relief. I haven’t eaten since breakfast yesterday, so I’m running on a piece of toast and apple sauce. Not the best situation.”
Maxim’s father and coach, Vadim, the 1994 world pairs champion (with Maxim’s mom, Evgenia Shishkova) was proud of how his son performed.
“Things like this happen with athletes, especially at the peak of your performance cycle, when your immune system is down,” said Vadim, who trains his athletes at the Skating Club of Boston. “This morning we tried to skate, and after each jump, Maxim had to go to the boards. We weren’t sure he was going to be able to skate, but he pushed through.”
Ryan Dunk placed third in the free to climb from 10th place after the short to fourth overall with 172.68 points.

COMPETITOR PROFILES (listed from youngest to oldest)

Maxim Naumov
Age: 16; 8/1/01
Club: SC of Boston
Training Town: Boston, MA
Coach: Vadim Naumov, Evgenia Shishkova
Choreographer: Mathew Gates and his parents
SP: “Luck Be a Lady” performed by Frank Sinatra
FS: “Who Wants to Live Forever” performed by The Tenors
SP score at Sectional & planned jumps: 61.21 3A, 3F+3T / 3Lz
Sectional FS/Total scores & placement: 111.61/172.82 [E1]
He is the 2017 Novice champion and Novice bronze medalist in 2016. He made his JGP debut in Latvia (8th) this fall. He is the son of the 1994 World pairs champions Shishkova/Naumov.

Dinh Tran
Age: 16; 6/21/01
Club: SC of San Francisco
Training Town: San Francisco, CA
Coach: Jeff Crandell, Igor Samohin, Cheryl Brusch
Choreographer: Marina Klimova
SP: “Exogenesis: Symphony Part 1” by Muse
FS: “Poeta” (flamenco) by Vincente Amigo
SP score at Sectional & planned jumps: 64.34 3F+3T, 3Lz / 2A
Sectional FS/Total scores & placement: 99.08/163.42 [P3]
He is the 2017 Novice bronze medalist and made his JGP debut in Poland (12th) this fall.
Feature article by San Jose Mercury News’ Elliott Almond & video: [Link to read/watch]

Peter Liu
Age: 17; 10/26/00
Club: SC of Wilmington
Training Town: Wilmington, DE
Coach: Viktor Pfeifer, Irina Romanova
Choreographer: I. Romanova
SP: Love theme from the Cinema Paradiso film soundtrack by Ennio Morricone, performed by Josh Groban
FS: Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini by Sergei Rachmaninov
SP score at Sectional & planned jumps: 53.26 2A, 3T+2T, 3Lz
Sectional FS/Total scores & placement: 110.68/163.94 [E3]
He was 7th in Junior last year and the 2016 U.S. Novice silver medalist. He made his JGP debut in the fall of 2016. He had a late start to his competition season this year.

Ryan Dunk
Age 17; 10/14/00
Club: Baltimore FSC
Training Town: Abingdon, MD
Coach: Chris Conte, Priscilla Hill-Wampler, Audrey Weisiger
Choreographer: Ryan Dunk
SP: “Malagueña” performed by Stanley Black and His Orchestra
FS: Music from The Nutcracker by Tchaikovsky
SP score at Sectional, placement & planned jumps: 59.85 2A / 3Lo+3Lo, 3Lz
Sectional FS/Total scores & placement: 107.24/167.09 [E2]
He is the 2017 Junior bronze medalist and made his JGP debut in Austria (9th) this fall.

Sasha Lunin
Age: 17; 9/20/00
Club: Fort Wayne ISC
Training Town: Fort Wayne, IN
Coach: Alena Lunin, Alexander Lunin
Choreographer: Alena Lunin, Gary Beacom
SP: “Bad to the Bone” by George Thorogood
FS: “Caruso” by Lucio Dalla, performed by Neal Schon (guitar)
SP score at Sectional & planned jumps: 57.78 3T+3T, 3Lz / 2A
Sectional FS/Total scores & placement: 106.95/164.73 [M2]
He was 5th in Junior last year and the 7th in Novice in 2016.
Local Indiana article: http://www.news-sentinel.com/sports/2017/12/28/figure-skating-family-heading-to-nationals/

Luke Ferrante
Age: 17; 9/1/00
Club: SC of Huntsville
Training Town: Huntsville, AL
Coach: Editha Dotson-Bowser
Choreographer: E. Dotson-Bowser and Scott Brown
SP: “Tango Por Una Cabeza” by Carlos Gardel, performed by Ithzak Perlman (from the Scent of a Woman film soundtrack
FS: Music from Romeo and Juliet by Nino Rota performed by various artists
SP score at Sectionalv& planned jumps: 48.78 3F+combo, 2A / 3Lz
Sectional FS/Total scores & placement: 98.48/147.26 [M3]
He withdrew from the Novice event last year.

Kendrick Weston
Age: 17; 8/21/00
Club: Salt Lake FS
Training Town: Salt Lake City, UT
Coach: Lisa Kriley, Karen Stone
Choreographer: Olga Volozhinskaya
SP: “Still Got the Blues (For You)” by Gary Moore
FS: “Stairway to Heaven” by Led Zeppelin
SP score at Sectional & planned jumps: 59.77 3T+3T, 3Lz / 2A
Sectional FS/Total scores & placement: 102.44/162.21 [P4]
He was a late withdrawal from this event last year and was the U.S. 2015 Novice silver medalist.

Camden Pulkinen
Age: 17; 3/25/00
Club: Broadmoor SC
Training Town: Colorado Springs, CO
Coach: Tom Zakrajsek, Becky Calvin
Choreographer: Drew Meekins (SP), Tom Dickson (FS)
SP: “Fix You” by Coldplay
FS: Frederic Chopin medley
SP planned jumps (JGP Final): 3A, 3F+3T / 3Lz
FS jumps landed (JGP Final): 3Lz+1Lo+3S, 3A+2T, 3F+3T / 3A, 2A, 3Lo, 2F, 2A
He won the silver medal at the 2017-18 ISU Junior Grand Prix Final in December, setting 3 new ISU personal best scores (217.10 total, 70.90 SP, 146.20 FS), and is last year’s U.S. Junior silver medalist. He made his international debut at the 2016 Youth Olympic Games in Norway and has competed on the JGP for the past 2 seasons.

Alex Wellman
Age: 17; 1/26/00
Club: Broadmoor SC
Training Town: Colorado Springs, CO
Coach: Damon Allen
Choreographer: Catarina Lindgren, Tom Dickson
SP: “Asturias” by William Joseph
FS: “Divenire” by Ludovico Einaudi
SP score at Sectional & planned jumps: 65.21 3F+2T, 2A / 3Lz
Sectional FS/Total scores & placement: 124.26/189.47 [M1]
He is the 2016 U.S. Intermediate silver medalist.
He won the U.S. Junior Challenge Skate in Salt Lake City in Sept. 2017.

Paul Yeung
Age: 18; 10/1/99
Club: All Year FSC
Training Town: Simi Valley, CA
Coach: Brianna Weissmann, Bianca Marro
Choreographer: Brianna Weissmann
SP: Michael Jackson medley
FS: Music from The Godfather by Nino Rota
SP score at Sectional & planned jumps: 58.06 2A, 3F+3T / 3Lz
Sectional FS/Total scores & placement: 112.34/170.40 [P1]
He was 6th in Novice last year, 10th in Novice in 2016 and also competed in pairs at past Nationals.

Tony Lu
Age: 19; 11/24/98
Club: North Jersey FSC
Training Town: Abingdon, MD
Coach: Priscilla Hill-Wampler, Christian Conte
Choreographer: Nikolai Morozov
SP: “Clubbed to Death” (from The Matrix) by Rob Dougan
FS: Bare Island by Hans Zimmer & Escape by Craig Armstrong
SP score at Sectional & planned jumps: 55.71 3Lz, 3F+3T / 2A [previously has landed 3A]
Sectional FS/Total scores & placement: 103.30/159.01 [E4]
He was 6th in Junior at 2016 Nationals and is coming back from injury. He previously competed 3 times on the JGP from 2014-2015.

Patrick Frohling
Age: 19; 10/29/98
Club: All Year FSC
Training Town: Burbank, CA
Coach: Wendy Olson, Amy Evidente
Choreographer: Jamie Isley
SP: “Roundtable Rival” performed by Lindsey Stirling
FS: “Sign of the Times” performed by Harry Styles
SP score at Sectional & planned jumps: 55.24 3Lz, 3T+3T / 2A
Sectional FS/Total scores & placement: 113.85/169.09 [P2]
He was 8th in Novice last year.

Justin Wichmann
Age: 20; 8/20/97
Club: Dallas FSC
Training Town: Plano, TX
Coach: Aleksey Letov, Olga Ganicheva
Choreographer: Olga Ganicheva
SP: “Let’s Go Crazy” by Prince
FS: Music from Scheherazade by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov
SP score at Sectional & planned jumps: 47.23 3F+combo, 3Lz / 2A
Sectional FS/Total scores & placement: 72.00/119.23 [M4]